Jon Walters makes his first return to Stoke City this weekend since leaving the club.

He calls himself a Burnley player and a Stoke fan these days – and Duck magazine editor Anthony Bunn believes he will have a place in the club’s hall of fame.

“How is your lad’s arm now, is he okay?”

Nine words that don’t amount to much, but say so much about the person who spoke them.

It’s a little unnerving to find a Premier League player asking about members of my family. But that’s Jonathan Walters, I suppose. The exact opposite of what many stereotypically believe to be how celebrities and footballers act: selfless, humble, personable, great company, funny, a team player – someone who is (and this is a compliment) very, very normal.

I’ve interviewed Jon a few times. A more down to earth bloke you couldn’t wish to meet and I think it’s fair to say that modern day Stoke City was built upon people like him.

When we paid an initial £2.75 million fee to nab Jon Walters from Ipswich Town in August 2010 I think it’s fair to say it was a transfer that went mainly under the radar.

Seven years later, Jon Walters left ST4 with the thanks of all Stokies for his sterling efforts in the red and white stripes. If one player has summed up Stoke City’s time in the Premier League so far, then it’s quite possibly this immensely likeable lad from The Wirral.

No matter the score, or how well he’d played himself, you could always guarantee one thing – no one will have worked harder than Jon Walters. His fitness levels were incredible, as noted to me by more than one Stoke player when I’ve interviewed them, with one in particular saying that after seeing his efforts for the first time in pre-season training that “he must have three lungs”.

After watching this club for well over four decades I know that effort is 100 per cent expected but shouldn’t always be taken for granted.

And Walters’ pain thresholds were there for all to see, too. Just like his good friend and social media buddy Robert Huth it could be said of SJW. And he has been always happy to laugh at himself.

But Jon Walters is about so much more than fun and fitness. There’s the football. A bit like Rory Delap, Walters was an immensely underrated player by some, even if never by his teammates and managers.

You don’t play the games he’s played and scored the goals he has at this level if you simply just “work arrrd”.

Jon Walters goal had Anthony on his feet

The ball often stuck when it was played forwards to Jon Walters, he’d bring others in to play, and he often won us so many fouls or time through his clever forward play. His excellent awareness enabled him to comfortably play in wide or more defensive roles, too. Winning by a solitary goal or trying to protect a precious point, Walters would often be seen behind our right back, tracking back and putting crucial tackles and blocks in.

He never hid, not even during that infamous Chelsea home game, when, well… we don’t need reminding. But he still had the bottle to take the penalty.

And then there are the goals – 62 of them in league and cups. And don’t forget, those often came from out wide, including the perfect hat-trick against QPR.

Jon Walters scores a solo goal to give Stoke City a lead against Chelsea. (Image: Alex Severn)

But there’s one goal we have to focus on, don’t we? Yes, THAT goal.

No, not leaving the Chelsea defence trailing in his wake before slotting home a beauty, nor his wonder strike against the same team in the League Cup. I mean THAT goal.

I can still see it: my lad and I were sat on the front row, to the left of the Bolton goal, second half, Wembley Stadium. There was a good first touch, awareness of what was around him, strength driving forward and holding off defenders. Then the finish, that beautiful finish.

Close my eyes, and I see the curve on the ball as it leaves his right foot and leaves Jussi Jääskeläinen diving in vain. If the net hadn’t been there, I’d have had the ultimate matchday souvenir, as it was headed straight towards us.

Even at 3-0 I couldn’t relax that day, but that fourth goal simply saw the stadium erupt and any remaining Wanderers fan leaving for an early train.

Jon Walters finds the net for Stoke City against Bolton in the FA Cup semi-final. (Image: IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images)

It was one of the moments when the years of torment and tears that so often is the lot of being a Stoke City fan were made worthwhile. We owned the footballing world that day.

His recent radio interview about the death of his beloved mother saw living rooms all over the country suddenly becoming very, very dusty.

When I saw and listened to Jon chatting to Tony Livesey about his mother it was truly heartbreaking, but it also made me smile a little, too: hoping that he was gaining strength from bearing his heart and soul in front of the nation. It takes a strong person to do what he did, and the sight of him so uncomfortable, yet so totally passionate, was both sad and inspirational.

He puts others first. That’s why I started this article with his question to me.

I had already interviewed Jon twice before, and we had finished the latest interview and were talking about life in general, before he mischievously accused me of “breathing in to look slim” (I, er, was) when we had the obligatory photo together at the end. We had mainly talked about charity work, and he remembered that my youngest had suffered a double fracture and dislocation of his arm several months earlier.

I was surprised he even remembered about my lad, to be honest. But we then spent five minutes or so talking about him and his recuperation and if he was back playing football again when Jon should have been off training with the squad. Indeed, it made him late.

He will always be ‘Super Jon’ to me and us. I hope he’s at the bet365 tomorrow to get the reception true Stoke City legends deserve.

There’s no ‘i’ in team nor Jonathan Walters. There is in icon, though.

The new edition of Duck magazine is a 1992/93 25th anniversary special, with a reduced cover price of £1.50. It includes interviews with Lou Macari, Mark Stein and Vince Overson plus supporter memories.

It will be on sale outside the grounds before Stoke's games against Burnley and Liverpool - and online at www.duckstoke.co.uk